Killing Next Winter

[Chinadan]

Have just purchased my first Toy Hauler. Looking to head south from Winnipeg via Vancouver this coming October. Hauling my new Harley and want to spend the winter riding in the sun. Plan is to head south down to California then east along the gulf and end up in the keys. So my question is: Has anyone out there done this whole trip or part and if so can you let me know of spots to overnight, great places to see or stay along the way. Would really appreciate
Thanks
Daniel

[Ray,IN]

It sounds like you plan to drift along your planned route. You may have a bit of trouble locating RV park space along the coast anywhere East of Texas. The Florida Keys is not a place to plan to camp without a reservation in advance, and there is absolutely no dry-camping/boondocking in the Keys.
The Florida state parks in the Keys are through Reserve America system. If you act now you might be able to reserve a site in the Keys, but that puts you on a timeline for arrival.

[Chinadan]

Drift along is the truth. Not sure what dry camping or boondocking is. Do you have any suggestions as to where t go or stop along the coast so I might try to figure out some kind of itinery. Would like to spend about 5 months.
Thanks

[Flyboy757]

Originally Posted by Chinadan

Drift along is the truth. Not sure what dry camping or boondocking is. Do you have any suggestions as to where t go or stop along the coast so I might try to figure out some kind of itinery. Would like to spend about 5 months.
Thanks

Dry camping...no power, water, electric hook ups. Use your onboard facilities for everything. Boondocking....parked wherever...legally of course !

Campgrounds...have a route and an area destination in mind. Check this website for possible stops.

RV Park Reviews - Trusted Reviews of Campgrounds & RV Parks


Depending on when you are leaving Winterpeg for the coast , mountain snow may be a factor. Plan accordingly. Also, most ,if not all Provinces and states require chains to be carried. Can`t find my link but someone will be along and post it...I hope! Time frame approx. 1 Oct to 31 Mar.
For weather in the USA I use http://www.weather.gov/

[jondrew55]

It will be challenging to find campgrounds in Fl, especially in the winter (too many snowbirds ). Especially the Keys, campsites fill up about a year out from the date you want them. Private campgrounds near the keys are pretty pricy too (think $100+ per night in winter season).

Many state campgrounds hold back a couple of sites and those are available when people just show up. But it's not very dependable.

Sounds like you have a real adventure ahead of you. Keep us posted.

[Ray,IN]

These websites might help you locate free or low-cost places to camp:
Recreation USA Discount Camping Club
http://www.casinocamper.com/
https://freecampsites.net/
PublicLands.org
usbackroads™: Forest Service Boondock Locations

Be forewarned, what jondrew said is correct about camping along the Southeastern Gulf states.

[luckyd]

One Canadian to another.
We have done that trip. We have also been to the East Coast and back to the
West coast three times in the last three years.

Going down the west coast from Vancouver depends on your route.
Lots to see and places to stay along 101. Personally I do not like the I-5.
Heading West, you can take 8 across to El Paso and then it changes to I-10.

Join Passport American early so you can get their book. This will give you
50% off on campgrounds.
Not really any place to "boondock" in Canada, but the USA offers a lot.

We did not find a problem with campgrounds and we have a 40 foot MH and tow
a CRV.

Keep an eye on the weather. All three times we dodged storms, and high winds.

This year we plan on heading across to Newfoundland and then back to Niagra
Falls. We plan on crossing into the USA Oct. 1 so hopefully we can visit some of the north eastern states before the winter weather sets in.

It would be great if we did not have the 180 day mandate.

Have fun, take your time and enjoy

[Gordon Dewald]

If you are heading down the west coast I would suggest you get there no later than early October. Later and the weather can be really wet and cold. Once you get south of San Francisco the weather improves.

[Flyboy757]

Chinadan..........found that link to the "Rules of the Road" I mentioned in an earlier post. http://www.woodalls.com/articledetai...icleID=2799181


Safe travels

[Ray,IN]

Originally Posted by Flyboy757

Chinadan..........found that link to the "Rules of the Road" I mentioned in an earlier post. 2011 Driving Laws for the US and Canada


Safe travels

The information is far from being correct, as the admonition states. For instance, Indiana listing says "right turn on red allowed if posted" That is entirely backward from Indiana law, which states "right turn on red allowed UNLESS signage states otherwise".

[Johnitis]

Actually, San Francisco and parts of Northern California coast have their best weather between September and late November. We usually head south after Thanksgiving. The weather does, indeed, improve south of San Francisco.

Originally Posted by Gordon Dewald

If you are heading down the west coast I would suggest you get there no later than early October. Later and the weather can be really wet and cold. Once you get south of San Francisco the weather improves.

[Johnitis]

If you truly want to drift, why not take the Highway 1's all the way down the coast into Baja California?

There's great winter camping in Coastal California: great beaches, great towns, a lot to do. The drawbacks are occasional storms, it can get cold, and most of the great places are dry camping. Also, most of the camping is on reservations, and the weekends are almost always booked; you can almost forget it altogether around holidays. The only first-come-first-serve campgrounds on the coast I can think of are at (from north to south) Westport Union Landing State Beach at the very north end of California Hwy 1, Washburn at San Simeon near Cambria, Rincon Parkway (right on the beach) near Ventura, and Emma Wood also on the beach near Ventura. Many, like Kirk Creek (my favorite) south of Big Sur, have a few non-reservable sites, but you have to get there early on a mid-week day. The San Diego area is probably already booked for the winter.

But that is good news, because all of the crowds stay north for "safety" in crowded San Diego. You can breeze across the border at San Ysidro and take Mexico Highway 1 to Ensenada where you can start drifting solely on your schedule, while remembering it only gets better each mile South. Most people get caught up with the beauty and convenience of the Bahia Concepcion instead of going all the way south, which isn't a bad thing at all: great food, great landscape, wonderful people, lovely towns, water sports, history, and no fighting for space with other RVers.

Originally Posted by Chinadan

Drift along is the truth. Not sure what dry camping or boondocking is. Do you have any suggestions as to where t go or stop along the coast so I might try to figure out some kind of itinery. Would like to spend about 5 months.
Thanks

[Flyboy757]

Originally Posted by Ray,IN

The information is far from being correct, as the admonition states. For instance, Indiana listing says "right turn on red allowed if posted" That is entirely backward from Indiana law, which states "right turn on red allowed UNLESS signage states otherwise".

Just a link to Woodalls from 2011.....let them know they are wrong......

[Gordon Dewald]

Originally Posted by Johnitis

Actually, San Francisco and parts of Northern California coast have their best weather between September and late November. We usually head south after Thanksgiving. The weather does, indeed, improve south of San Francisco.

True - The weather got better in SF. When we went through Oregon in early October it was raining and the fellow at the Cranberry Store in Banden said it was the start of their winter and the store would be closing for the season shortly.